FBI arrests federal border officer

San Diego  A U.S. Customs and Border Protection officer accused of illegally allowing his felon brother-in-law into the country has been arrested, joining about 140 members of border law enforcement agencies who have been charged in corruption cases since 2004.

Correction

An earlier version of this story incorrectly said the bail hearing would be for Julio Cesar Landaverde Valdez. The hearing is for the defendant, Thomas Paul Silva. The story has been changed to reflect the correct information.

Thomas Paul Silva, 33, was taken into custody about 8:30 a.m. Friday at the San Ysidro Port of Entry by agents with the Border Corruption Task Force, FBI special Agent Darrell Foxworth said today.

Silva, who has been with the agency since 2002, is accused of allowing Julio Cesar Landaverde Valdez, a federal fugitive, to enter the U.S. from Mexico in April, Foxworth said. He said Silva knew his brother-in-law was a fugitive.

Valdez was convicted in 2006 on immigrant smuggling charges. That case stemmed from Valdez and an associate trying to enter the U.S. at the San Ysidro border crossing with an undocumented immigrant in a dashboard compartment of their vehicle, Foxworth said.

Silva appeared in federal court this afternoon and was told he faces two charges: concealing a person to prevent arrest and wire fraud. A defense attorney was appointed to represent him.

In addition to illegally allowing his brother-in-law into the country, Silva is accused of defrauding Farmers Insurance Co. by falsely claiming that his vehicle was stolen and receiving about $7,300 as a result, Foxworth said.

A Customs and Border Protection spokeswoman issued a statement via email, saying the agency stresses honor and integrity in its mission.

“CBP employees and officers perform their duties with honor and distinction, working tirelessly every day to keep our country safe,” the statement said. “We do not tolerate abuse within our ranks, and we fully cooperate with investigations of alleged misconduct by any of our personnel, on or off duty.”

An affidavit filed in the case said federal agents were alerted to Silva’s alleged criminal activity in November 2010 after reports accused him of allowing people with phony immigration documents to pass through the San Ysidro Port of Entry.

Silva ran computer searches in a Customs and Border Protection database under Valdez’s name in March, the affidavit says. Then, on April 19, cameras recorded a Volkswagen sedan entering the inspection lane that Silva was monitoring.

Silva failed to properly enter the Volkswagen’s license plate number into a computer system and did not provide any personal information about anyone in the car.

The male driver of the Volkswagen had a tattoo, part of which could be seen on his neck above the collar. Investigators viewed photos on Valdez’s Facebook page, which showed he has a tattoo that covers part of his left shoulder, neck and upper chest.

An arrest warrant was issued for Valdez’s arrest in June 2011 after failing to show up at a residential re-entry program. He remains a fugitive.

Silva was booked Friday into the Metropolitan Correctional Center in downtown San Diego.

His wife and three supporters were in court today but declined to speak to reporters afterward.

Magistrate Judge William V. Gallo scheduled a detention hearing for Wednesday to discuss what Silva’s bail should be.

The Border Patrol and Customs and Border Protection have been dogged in recent years with agents and officers having been arrested in corruption cases related to their jobs. Most of them took money to allow drugs or undocumented immigrants into the United States.

Last month, a federal jury convicted two brothers, both former Border Patrol agents, for running a human smuggling ring. Prosecutors said Raul Villarreal, who had been a media spokesman for the Border Patrol in San Diego, was accused of hatching the idea and later recruiting his brother, Fidel.

T.J. Bonner, the former longtime head of the national union for Border Patrol agents, was indicted last month by a federal grand jury in San Diego on charges he defrauded the union out of hundreds of thousands of dollars. He’s accused of using the union’s money for personal business, including visiting a mistress in Chicago.

Bonner maintains his innocence, calling the wire fraud and conspiracy charges “groundless.” He has said he was targeted because he was a frequent critic of policies by Republican and Democratic presidents during the 22 years he served as head of the National Border Patrol Council.

Hector Rodriguez, who worked four years as an officer with U.S. Customs and Border Protection, was arrested in July while on duty at the San Ysidro Port of Entry. He is accused, along with two other defendants, of conspiring to smuggle undocumented immigrants into the U.S. and receiving bribes, such as luxury vehicles and rent on an apartment.